The present invention relates to a distributed information processing system wherein clients access files in a server with application programs for processing with graphic display by users at the clients' sites. More particularly, the invention is an arrangement in the above system For retaining and resuming operating states of clients.
A typical resuming arrangement is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid Open No. HEI/-1-279391. This arrangement is for retaining and resuming operating states stored in a main memory, a display memory and I/O registers of peripheral devices in a single information processing device. Information about the operating states is stored in a memory of the information processing device at a specific time for example when the power is turned off, and the same operating states reappear in the information processing device by using the information in the memory when a user starts using the information processing device again. Distributed information processing systems in which the programs of clients access remotely a file of a server for processing are known. In the distributed information processing system using a network, a connection between the program and the file and an opening state of the file cannot be retained and resumed by the above arrangement. This makes it impossible for the program to use again the file even if the operating states of the inside of a client are resumed. On the other hand, in distributed information processing system, an user can use the file of the server from any client. However, the operating states of the inside of the client do not reappear if the user has moved from one client to another.